Exxon Chief Goes on the Offensive as Wall Street Sours on ESG

After coming under attack from both environmentalists and investors in the first half of his seven-year tenure at the helm of Exxon Mobil Corp., Darren Woods is on the offensive.

Already this year, Woods filed an arbitration case against Chevron Corp. for attempting to buy into Exxon’s massive offshore oil project in Guyana and a lawsuit against investors demanding that his company cut emissions. Just months earlier, he agreed to a $60 billion takeover that would make Exxon the biggest US shale producer.

Woods is also becoming much more strident about climate goals in speeches and interviews, arguing that ...